Firefighters at the scene in Waipara. Photo: FENZ / supplied
Firefighters battling a blaze in Waipara that has been burning for almost a week say overnight rain has both helped and hindered their cause.
The fire had now burned through about 108 hectares.
"Our crews, supported by heavy machinery, will also be working to open two skid sites, which have deep-seated burning," Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) incident commander Brian Keown said.
"These two sites are producing a lot of the visible smoke, which will reduce as work is completed."
Seventy-five firefighters were on site on Wednesday, focusing on hotspots.
About 10mm of rain had fallen on the North Canterbury region in the past 24 hours, preventing the need to fight the blaze from the sky.
"But the fire isn't extinguished, and the rain has made surfaces slippery and difficult for firefighters and vehicles," Keown said.
The fire started in a forestry block north of Waipara on Thursday. Hopes FENZ would have it extinguished by last weekend were dashed by strong winds on Sunday, which more than doubled its size.
FENZ has declared a prohibition on fires in the open air across the Canterbury District until Monday, 9 September. It applied to aeras from north of the Rakaia River to just south of the Clarence River.
The prohibition meant a total ban on outdoor fires, and all previously granted fire permits were no longer valid.